A Reign of Blood is a captivating debut that immediately pulls you into its dark, fantastical world. The story follows Aria, a mysterious girl who washes up on the shores of Etra, the capital of Skierka, with a single mission: infiltrate the palace. But standing in her way is the enigmatic and dangerous crown prince, Raask, whose presence threatens to derail everything.

Aria is a complex character with intriguing motivations, though I found myself wanting to see more of her outside of her interactions with Raask. The romance between them escalates a bit too quickly for my liking, but perhaps I’m just a sucker for a slow-burn romance. On the other hand, I love the brotherly bond between Raask and Viggo. Their dynamic adds a layer of warmth to the story, and I’m hoping we’ll see even more of them in the next book.

Set in a tyrannical empire with a rich, mysterious magic system, A Reign of Blood offers plenty of intrigue. The Lithen magic system is one of the book’s most interesting aspects. There’s a section involving trials that feels somewhat out of place and interrupts the pacing of the story, and the ending feels too abrupt.

Still, despite a few pacing hiccups, this debut novel is a strong start to what seems to be an exciting series. I’m eager to dive into the sequel and see where Aria’s journey takes her next. ❤️

👑 Forbidden love
👑 Morally-grey characters
👑 Strong FMC
👑 Interesting magic system

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story was so unique and exciting. It's so fast-paced that you sometimes forget to breathe. Never a dull moment, lots of action. And the enemies to lovers trope is incredible! At the end of the story, there's even the who did this to you trope. I screamed!
The romance in this book is slow burn, and there's no explicit sexual content.
Overall a lovely book and and I’m expecting a second book (which I would be overjoyed to read as well!)

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book. As soon as you start reading, you jump right in, and that threw me off a little bit. You also start the book with like multiple POV‘s and I wasn’t expecting that so it took me a little bit to adapt and actually engage in the story. I think when you get like to the middle is when you will actually be locked in and super focused on the story and start like reading a little bit faster. That’s what happened for me. At least when I got to the middle is when things started picking up and I was engaged. This isn’t said which I found funny but I also think this has a little bit of the little mermaid retelling/ inspired in this story, but you don’t really figure that out until towards the middle/end of the book. I would say the main characters or Raaka and Aria. Then secondary characters who are still important and get POV‘s or Mayta and Viggo. Raaka and Viggo are brothers and Aria and Mayta are sisters.
It gets a little messy. Aria is supposed to seduce Raaka because there’s some history on both sides where they’re not supposed to trust each other, but she starts to fall for him. Mayta has always liked Raaka because she seen him from afar, but she’s never actually had a conversation with him and Viggo actually likes Mayta but he knows that she likes his brother. I loved the drama and I definitely still have some questions so really looking forward to book 2 to seeing what direction the story is going to go next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was very close to DNFing this book multiple times, and really only finished it to give a better review/because it was an ARC. This story had a lot of potential, but the execution was lacking.

Like other readers, I noticed the typos, grammatical/punctuation errors, and sentence structure issues. A lot of the writing also felt flat and there was a lot of telling, not showing. I did not really feel emotionally connected to any of the characters, which thus led me to feel Nothing when bad things happened to some of them. I also wasn't convinced by either of the romances (the first is insta-lust, with absolutely nothing to justify their initial attraction; the second is some kind of fated or syren thing that just wasn't appealing to me).

I also wasn't sold on the initial premise of the story--why on earth would a crown prince rescue a girl from the sea, then personally tend/train her, and then keep her safe in the palace? Like, there's no explanation or reason for me to believe this plausible.

The story was getting interesting near the end, but I was dissatisfied enough that I highly doubt I'll read any sequel(s).

Overall, do not recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was very close to DNFing this book multiple times, and really only finished it to give a better review/because it was an ARC. This story had a lot of potential, but the execution was lacking.

Like other readers, I noticed the typos, grammatical/punctuation errors, and sentence structure issues. A lot of the writing also felt flat and there was a lot of telling, not showing. I did not really feel emotionally connected to any of the characters, which thus led me to feel Nothing when bad things happened to some of them. I also wasn't convinced by either of the romances (the first is insta-lust, with absolutely nothing to justify their initial attraction; the second is some kind of fated or syren thing that just wasn't appealing to me).

I also wasn't sold on the initial premise of the story--why on earth would a crown prince rescue a girl from the sea, then personally tend/train her, and then keep her safe in the palace? Like, there's no explanation or reason for me to believe this plausible.

The story was getting interesting near the end, but I was dissatisfied enough that I highly doubt I'll read any sequel(s).

Overall, do not recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off I want to stay this isactually quite a unique concep. you start right slap bang in the midst of actions so it is a bit daunting at first with so much going on to get your heads round everything.

There is a large number of characters introduced each with their own motives and POVs which can be a challenge to keep up.

I feel that both MC had a bit of the old Insta love, maybe but I didn't enjoy their interactions with each other. although the MMC drastic behaviour change midway through story is still unexplained and was a bit confusing .
This is only the first part of a series so assuming that all of this might be further explained and make sense in the next book(s).

Thanks to NetGalley and Samantha Gonda for the early copy of A Reign of Blood in exchange for an honest review!

What started out feeling like a darker, more magical Little Mermaid quickly grew into a story that stands entirely on its own.

The cast of characters is large and layered, each with their own unique motivations and perspectives. At times it was a challenge to keep up. However, it made the story richer and more engaging, and I’m hopeful it will all come together even more in future installments.

I especially appreciated the way the male and female characters reflected each other—balancing strengths and flaws, and often bringing out the best in one another during the lighter moments.

That said, Raask’s shift in the middle of the book left me a bit puzzled. I found myself wanting more insight into what drove his change in behavior.

Still, I’m really looking forward to what comes next. There are so many wide-open threads, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.

Reign of Blood promises a world rich with mystery, magic, and romance, drawing readers into an intricate tapestry of spirits, forbidden powers, and an emotional conflict that could unravel the very fabric of reality. At its heart, the novel boasts an alluring magical system that manipulates the flow of energy through emotions, forging bonds between people, creatures, and even entire realms. It’s a concept that could have made the book a standout in the genre, offering both depth and a unique take on magic.

Unfortunately, the execution is where the novel begins to lose its way. With multiple typos and grammatical errors, the editorial mistakes are a huge distraction from the story.

Reign of Blood is also burdened by an overabundance of viewpoints. While multiple perspectives can enrich a story, in this book, it detracts from the emotional core.

Overall, I would give this book a three star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book!

You love him you hate him you love him you hate him. Aria is thrown for a loop amd so was I. Then she did us just as dirty

A Reign of Blood is a unique and interesting romantasy with creative world building and morally gray characters. From the start, the reader is thrown right into the action. Aria is discovered almost drowned on the shores of the Dahs by the charming heir to the throne. Raask takes Aria back to the palace, where they begin to bond. While Raask immediately trusts Aria, his older brother Viggo does not. Unfortunately for Raask, Viggo is spot-on. Aria faked her drowning in order to infiltrate the palace with the sole goal of taking down the royal family and getting revenge for the deaths of her people. The story is told through multiple POVs, which really added to the overall plot. Each character is well-developed, and I found myself looking forward to each character's next chapter. I also loved the development of the relationships between Aria and Raask, Raask and Viggo, and Viggo and his group. While the world building and magic system are quite complex, the author does a great job of advancing both throughout the book. There is no huge information dump. I do think the book could use a bit more editing. There were quite a few typos and some repetition throughout. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the concept, the characters, and all of the action. And that ending! WHAT!?!?!?! I cannot wait for the next book.

thank you net galley for the arc. so this story was intriguing. you have a kingdom run by humans (morloks)i felt some parts were slow, other part were rushed. i enjoyed the duel pov.

Aria comes off as a strong independent woman who knows how to play her cards right. I liked that she has a mind of her own. I loved that we got multiple POV’s.

Some inconsistencies were hard to overlook (a single drop of purple blood as a dead giveaway, but not when one loses an arm?) I also had a hard time with the quick switch in character traits from our male leads and the overall foreshadowing that was laid on pretty thick.

However, the book did go an unorthodox route with the plot, although strongly foreshadowed it did felt original. A book that thrives on the badass FMC and its originality, but could use some more overall refinement.

I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley for the review opportunity!

I think this author has potential, but it wasn't for me. It was readable, but I was mostly bored. At first, I didn't mind the multiple POV but I'm afraid it'll be too much in the future book(s). Here we have 4 main POVs so it was easy to follow and interesting but did I need the last new POV? Not really. Too much telling, not enough showing.
But I do think it's a good debut book. It still needs some editing (repetitions, typos -I usually don't notice them so if I do, that's really an issue-) but I know it's too late for this one so I hope the author will learn from this one. It has potential but to be honest, I was a little confused sometimes. Magic system is cool, I wish we learned more in the story than in the glossary (that I'm lazy to check), about the different creatures... instead of wasting time in some character's head.

By the way, the book was marketed with a <i>bloodthirsty heroine</i> it was said a lot but I didn't really saw that part of her so I hope it'll be more shown in the next book? I also didn't see the need of saying it's a twist on the Little Mermaid, the FMC(s?) are just sirens. And I don't get the Hades and Persephone part either (that I find overused in the way authors are marketing their books). Sometimes being simple is fine too. I admit I was first drawn to this book because I saw aesthetic posts of it and absolutely not because of the tropes. Like, she managed to fit the famous <i>"Who did this to you?" at one point and it felt so pointless at that moment. But that might also be because I'm not sold on the main couple, if that's the actual couple in this trilogy. And it's not because of the absence of steam, I like a good slow-burn. But it's messy. I didn't get the attraction of Viggo for Mayta either, was it like a fated thing? And maybe I wasn't focused enough but the only age I did get from this read is Viggo's. I have no idea how old are the others characters exactly.

I don't know yet if I'll read the next book, but I do wish the author good things, she was nice on her socials.

A great start from Samantha Gonda. Her debut novel is rich and impactful and the world building is really well explained I loved Aria’s character and all the lore about the Dahs. I did not particularly enjoy the romance part but she can build her story with a sequel.

From the very first page you are thrown right into the action of the book and I am here for it. Some may say it's a little confusing in the beginning because of that, but for me, I love not having to wade through the first couple chapters before being hooked.

This book had a ton of surprises and a ton of little "I did not see that coming" moments. I loved the main characters and the magic system. They truly felt so unique. I'm really excited that this is the first book in a new series because I am already ready for more.

A very special Thank You to NetGalley and BeRead for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

dnf

Writing the next words hurt me. But this was a struggle for me. I couldn't get pulled into the world. The third POV I feel that it's ruining the story. Too much telling instead of feeling. Too
I liked the magic system. First time hearing about 'lythe', a magic-infused substance based on colors.
I'll definitely give this a second chance another time.

✨ thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review✨

This was really good. I enjoyed the characters, the romance, and the plot. I will definitely read more from this author.

This was very enjoyable. I liked the characters, the world, and plot. The ending was great. I need more please.

This book was very different from the typical romantasy. Every time something happened that I thought I knew the outcome, I was surprised by how realistic the actual outcome was. Heroine saves main lead? Obviously she will wake up with all her limbs, NO! Also, the little bits of easter eggs that helped the reader reach the conclusion of what the heroine actually is was perfect. I was surprised by this book at every turn, so I enjoyed reading it a lot.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC.

This book really had dark Little Mermaid vibes. How the golden retriever human Prince falls first (and hard) in love with a vicious siren whose plan is to seek vengeance.

This story was so unique and exciting. It's so fast-paced that you sometimes forget to breathe. Never a dull moment, lots of action. And the enemies to lovers trope is incredible! At the end of the story, there's even the 'who did this to you' trope. I screamed!

The romance in this book is slow burn, and there's no explicit sexual content.

The ending with its twists and turns took me by surprise. No spoilers! There's a cliffhanger, so I expect a second book soon.

I rated this book 3/5 stars. While this book has an interesting plot, and shocking ending I didn’t see coming, it lacked character and plot development. I think this book is a good foundation, but it had me wishing I had stronger backstories of characters than that were given, and there were certain events of the plot that I thought would add more depth to the book, but instead seemed quickly explained.

I did enjoy the characters, and there are multiple points of view of characters which were outlined nicely in the book. I wish near the end I had more of female main character pov because as a reader, I wanted to feel and sympathize with her more than what we were given.

For a romatasy book, there was very little romance and I felt there should have been a deeper connection that we felt for the two characters, so when they are heartbroken, as readers we are heartbroken. When something goes right for the characters, we cheer them on and hope for the best. Romance does exist in the book, and love is a feeling that drives characters decisions, but it’s minimal in the book.

This does have a lot of fantasy vibes, however, there is still so much unknown about parts of the kingdom and the creatures within it. Maybe this is intentional as it is part of a series.

I am curious enough to read what happens next in this series, but it wouldn’t be going on my immediate TBR pile.